CHERRIES’ young guns let top spot in their Premier League Cup group slip with defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

First-half goals from Jack Hinshelwood and Jack Spong gave the away side an eventual win of 2-0, putting them top of the group with seven points from four games.

Cherries, who had their third game of the group stage away at QPR on Monday night postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, entered the game unbeaten, following two victories in their opening two games.

They had begun the campaign with a 3-0 victory away at Brighton back in August, but they were unable to do the double at the Vitality Stadium.

The opening exchanges were relatively equal, both sides probing without reward.

A driving run by Michael Dacosta Gonzalez saw the winger advance the ball from inside his own half, before slowing to release Nou Boutin inside the box. The Frenchman’s effort was well-blocked, allowing the away side to swiftly move up the pitch.

Albion striker Todd Miller then saw a close-range effort flash across the face of goal following a vital intervention from Cam Plain.

Jack Hinshelwood sent a curling effort from outside the box down the gullet of Plain for a simple catch.

Hinshelwood came closer again when he was left unmarked inside the box, his goal bound header palmed away by Plain at full-stretch.

Brighton continued to be the more threatening of the two sides, with Cam Peupion causing concern for Cherries when his effort from a tight angle flew the wrong side of the post.

The pressure eventually told shortly after the half-hour mark. Hinshelwood nipped in ahead of Plain to bundle over the opener following a Casper Nillson cross.

It quickly became two minutes later, Cherries losing the ball in the middle of the park, meaning they were unable to properly reset defensively.

That allowed Luca Barrington to pick out captain Spong in the box, the midfielder with space and time to place the ball beyond Plain.

The barrage on the Cherries goal continued, with Plain again at the rescue after Chris Francis gave away a free-kick in a dangerous area, picking up a booking for his troubles.

Barrington fired the set-piece directly at goal, Plain having to push the effort on to the bar to keep the scoreline at 2-0.

Cherries were gifted a chance to halve the deficit in injury time, Jonny Stuttle denied by a fine James Beadle stop after Dacosta Gonzalez head inadvertently blocked the ball.

The second half restarted in similar fashion, the hosts receiving possession inside the opposition’s box from a wayward pass. However, they were again unable to capitalise, Dacosta Gonzalez’s effort blocked.

Ben Greenwood saw his long-range piledriver tipped over by Beadle as Cherries searched for a way back into the game.

Despite their huffing and puffing, Cherries were unable to produce a goal of their own.

They drop to second, with six points from three games. They next visit Derby County on Monday, December 12 (kick-off 7pm).

Cherries: Plain; Popoola, Francis, Kinsey-Welligns, Greenwood; Okoh, Brown, Sadi, Dacosta Gonzalez, Boutin (Adu-Adjei, 63); Stuttle (Johnson, 63)

Unused subs: Terrell, Williams, Trialist

Booked: Francis, Brown.

Brighton: Beadle, Nilsson, Offiah (Ifill, 86), Tsongui (Jackson, h-t), Turns, Samuels, Hinshelwood, Spong (Everitt, 62), Peupion, Barrington (Wilson, 77), Miller

Unused sub: Cahill

Booked: Nillson